My Pride Byakuya and Rukia
by Hanamaru Kurosaki
Summary: This is a one shot I did for a contest winner. It is about how Byakuya feels when he sees Rukia for the first time, because of how she looks like Hisana. Sorry for the bad summary, and no, this is not ByakuyaXRukia!


Byakuya Kutchiki couldn't believe it. He felt his heart leap as the raven-haired beauty walked into the room. Was it her? Was it his beautiful Hisana miraculously brought back to him? No, there was no way it could be. She had died right in front of him. This girl, amazingly, looked just like her. Just like his dear wife. He remembered the day she died like it was only yesterday.

"Byakuya…my darling…I know my time is ending, but could you do something for me?" Hisana had whispered softly, holding her hand out for him to hold.

"Hisana, you need to rest. Your time is not ending, just rest." Byakuya had pleaded as calmly as he could. Hisana had weakly shaken her head, and squeezed his hand.

"Darling, please don't say things like that. It just makes it harder." she whispered, her eyes brimming with tears. It killed Byakuya to see her like this; so weak and sick. It killed him that he could do nothing to save her. Taking a silent, shaky breath, he decided the only thing he could do was to fulfill her wishes.

"What can I do for you?" he asked quietly, feeling his heart break with every word.

"Byakuya, I have a sister. Her name is…Rukia. Could you please take her in…as your sister when I am gone?" Hisana asked, growing extremely weaker with every word she spoke. Byakuya didn't know what to do. If he adopted Rukia as his sister, it would be breaking the rules. He had already broken the rules of his clan when he married Hisana. However, Hisana was looking at him with a weak pleading look, and he finally decided to do it for her.

"Yes, I will adopt Rukia as my sister. I will do it for you." He promised. Hisana smiled a small, weak, smile.

"Thank you…Byakuya my love. But please, promise me that when you find her, you will not tell her about me. I abandoned her as a baby. I left her in the Rukon District, Byakuya. I do not deserve to be called her sister. " she whispered.

"I promise." Byakuya replied back. Hisana smiled at him with her last breath as her eyes gently closed forever, Byakuya's life seeming to end with the end of her life. The pain of losing his wife was nearly impossible to get over, but now, seeing Rukia walk in the room brought back all the feelings and pain he had felt like a tidal wave.

"Are you Rukia?" he asked the girl in as indifferent a voice as he could possibly muster. It must have been pretty good, for she looked up at him, fear in her eyes.

"Y-yes I am." she answered nervously, with a hint of confusion.

"I am Byakuya Kuchiki. I have come to adopt you into the Kuchiki clan as my sister." he replied with authority. Rukia's eyes widened in shock.

"Y-You want to adopt me? Into the Kuchiki clan?" she gasped.

"Yes. Do you accept?" Byakuya asked, his voice indifferent and slightly cold as he tried to conceal his true feelings of nerves and pain. Rukia seemed to be at a loss for words. Byakuya couldn't help but feel slightly nervous. What if she refused? If she did, then everything that he had done to find her would have been for nothing. He would have broken his promise to Hisana…and that was something he could never live down.

"I do not understand. Why does the noble Kuchiki clan wish to adopt me?" Rukia asked, struggling to understand.

"That does not matter. Do you accept the invitation or do you not?" Byakuya answered. Rukia seemed to be very nervous and conflicted. Byakuya felt like he couldn't take waiting for the answer any longer. A few moments felt like years to him. What would he do if she refused him? How could he fulfill his promise to Hisana to protect Rukia if she didn't wish to be adopted into the Kuchiki clan? Just when Byakuya was about to demand for her answer again, Rukia finally spoke up.

"It would be an honor to be adopted into the Kuchiki clan." she replied, bowing with respect. Relief seemed to wash over Byakuya like a wave. His promise to Hisana would not be broken.

Later that night, Byakuya could not sleep. Everyone was in bed at the time, and he knew he should be as well, since it was his duty to report to his squad alert and ready for action. However, constant thoughts of Hisana and Rukia swarmed in his mind, not giving him peace. He wandered around, trying to clear his head, not even paying attention to where he was going. After a while of walking, he realized that he was outside of Rukia's bedroom. Quietly and slowly, he opened her door and peered inside. Rukia was sleeping soundly. Byakuya felt a familiar stab of pain in his heart. This happened every time he looked at her, because every time he looked at her, he saw Hisana.

"Hisana…" he whispered. "I have done what you asked me to. I adopted your sister as my own. Hisana…when you told me that you did not deserve to be called her sister, I should have told you that you were wrong. I should have told you that you deserved the world. I failed you, Hisana, even though I have done what you asked. I should have tried harder to save you. I shall try to make it up to you, my love…I will watch over Rukia and protect her." Byakuya looked to the ground and closed his eyes, pain enveloping him. He began to close Rukia's door, but as he did so, he heard Rukia mutter something in her sleep.

"Brother…" she whispered.

Byakuya's eyes widened in surprise. Was Rukia dreaming…about him? He looked at her to make sure she was sleeping, and she was. He slowly and silently closed the door, and as he walked away, he whispered:

"Do not fear…I will protect you…you shall be my pride now…Rukia."


End file.
